The Biometrics Rush

The online world has been experiencing an unprecedented threat to cybersecurity from almost all sides. Data breaches and data scandals are very common. Human error is the most significant cause behind these data breaches. Vested business interest is another prime reason behind data scandals in the form of unauthorized data harvesting. Would adoption of biometrics technology add solutions or increase vulnerabilities and threat to cybersecurity?

A data breached biometrics can create a life long problem

Biometrics is a physical passport of a human identity. It is so true and good to bring your own identity with your own body. It is also true that biometric data can be stolen / hacked or breached. A data breached biometrics can create a life long problem. How would you know when and where the hacked biometric data would be spoofed and misused? You can't even reset a biometrics like a text password. Thus biometric data leak / hack / breach is an ever troubling conundrum. The false sense of biometric security can only benefit criminals.

Biometrics spoofing technology is progressing at an alarming rate

Duplicate fingerprints created on thumb like objects can be used to fake as real thumb. Face images may be captured remotely from public places or may be grabbed from the social media. Even a 3D face shape may also be sensed and reconstructed from suitably captured multiple face images The stolen face images and 3D printed face mask may be used to beat the face recognition systems. Iris images may be extracted from HD images of faces for spoofing. The behavioral biometrics, such as voice and speaker recognition systems, may appear as safe. But research reports say that mimicry attacks may act as threats to voice and speaker recognition.

Liveness detection is a spoofing filter and may also be defeated

The implementation of biometrics liveness detection is not so simple as the principle. Sometimes liveness detection fails to reject quality biometrics spoofs. Since the biometrics spoofing technology is progressing at an alarming rate, there is no scope of permanent relief with a liveness detection. The security vulnerability of biometrics liveness detection is real. If biometrics is used as the only authenticating measure, there is a dark possibility that criminals might try to misuse biometrics liveness detection. 

Is the world rushing for biometrics adoption?

The hype of biometrics is so high that the tech world is die hard to adopt biometrics for online authentication and management of digital identity. The proponents of biometrics-only authentication wish to kill passwords but still keep text passwords / PIN as a fallback measure in case of biometrics failure. But biometrics technology is less reliable than text passwords, and the biometrics spoofing threat is real. We are humble to raise a simple question. Is the technology world rushing for biometrics technology adoption?

I would love to get your views and suggestions. If you like this article, please click "Like" or any other LinkedIn "reactions", and "Share" it among your acquaintances and network.

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More of my articles on Digital Identity, Cybersecurity and allied topics:

• Can Cybersecurity and Quantum Computing be Friends?
• Does Cybersecurity have any Space for Digital Convenience?
• Security Ability and Convenience Bear an Uncertainty Relationship
• Convenience is the Weakest Link in Security
• Biometrics Liveness Detection May Help Criminals
• Can Liveness Detection Defeat Biometrics Spoofing Attacks?
• Biometric Data Breach Conundrum
• Is Biometrics More Secure than Text Passwords?
• Self-Sovereign Identity Depends on National Policies
• The Password Hole in the Cyber Bag
• Identity Dilemmas: Biometrics, Texts or Something Else
• Brand Identity, Digital Identity and Crypto Aspirations
• Digital Identity, Assets and Governance
• Decentralized Digital Identity: Which Distributed Ledger is Most Viable?
• Decentralized Biometrics: Is It the Ultimate Solution?
• Biometric Data Protection is a Big Challenge
• Reset Biometric Traits?
• Spoofing Biometrics isn't Impossible
• Privacy protection could have saved Aadhaar data breach
• Data Protection is a Big Challenge

For more articles, stories, and insights follow #DebeshChoudhury

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I am a researcher and academician of electronics and applied photonics. My current research focuses on Privacy Protected Digital Identity. My friend Jose Munoz Mata and I are researching distributed ledger technology for decentralized  digital identity and other real world applications.

In June 2015, Dr. Jeffrey Strickland and I founded a new LinkedIn Group called "The Unfluencers". To learn about the history of "The Unfluencers" please read the seminal LinkedIn article by Dr. Jeffrey Strickland entitled -- "Who are the Unfluencers". This group is an open group. You are welcome to join this group and engage yourself in the discussions. The Unfluencer?? Logo is a registered trademark of Dr. Jeffrey Strickland.

Text Copyright ? 2019 Debesh Choudhury— All Rights Reserved 

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